Wayne State University

Theater Management Program

Department of Theatre
4841 Cass Ave., Suite 3225
Detroit, MI 48202
United States
Main Phone: 1 (313) 577-3010
Main E-Mail: theatreinfo@wayne.edu

Degree/Credential: Graduate (MFA in Theatre with an emphasis in Theatre Management)
Web Site: http://www.theatre.wayne.edu

Program Director: ALake [link available to AAAE members only]

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Program Goals and Objectives

The Hilberry Theatre Management program is focused on arts leadership. The theory studied is similar to those in other arts administration programs, but the Hilberry degree is focused on practice and gives our students the skills to work in a professional capacity immediately.

This full-immersion, practice-based course of study — modeled after real, professional theatres — offers leadership training and the opportunity to network with guest lecturers who work in the field. Our Management students learn, hands-on, what it means to run a professional theatre and often are hired into executive-level positions upon graduation.

While the primary emphasis is on the preparation for management positions, graduate students may elect to teach an undergraduate course in theatre management in their third year. The program seeks to blend theory and practice, providing students the theories which support the practical work and means by which to exercise those theories. One seminar is directed to providing students the tools to complete research required of theatre managers, including historical and market research. Students must complete a research project that they present at the end of the three-year program.

The program seeks students with theatre, business, or communications backgrounds in their undergraduate program, although this is not a requirement. Many students also have experience in the theatre (some in theatre management) prior to their enrollment in the program. The three producing theatres of Wayne State University--the Hilberry, the Bonstelle, and the Studio Theatres--are a central part of the Detroit cultural scene; as such, the theatre management program is committed to recruiting a diverse student population.

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Administration of the Program

The program is headed by a faculty member within the Department of Theatre and is supported by a broad range of resources both within and outside the Department. The Department of Theatre is part of the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts; theatre management students take courses throughout the University, including courses in the School of Business and in the Not-for-Profit Sector Studies. Curricular committees at departmental, college, and university levels monitor the curricular goals and objectives of all programs in the Department of Theatre. The department is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre and the theatre management MFA degree program is a member of the Association of Arts Administration Educators. The department is an organizational member of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education and a sustaining member of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology.

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Curriculum

The M.F.A. in Theatre Management is a 60-credit hour degree. The degree takes three years to complete.

The following selection of courses are required for Theatre Management students:

Development of Drama
Human Resources for the Theatre
Public Relations and the Theatre
Market Data and Decisions
Source and Project Funds: Grant Writing
Fund Development and the Theatre
Leadership in Theatre
Desktop Publishing (Adobe Photoshop & InDesign)
Publishing on The Internet (Adobe Dreamweaver)
Accounting and Financial Reporting
Advanced Studies in Theatre Management

Additional courses are often offered include:
Dramatic Criticism
Theatre History
Organizational Communication
Legal Environment of the Arts

Additionally, Theatre Management students participate in the management of the three producing theatres of Wayne State University, serving in major positions such as Media Relations Coordinator, Ad Sales Coordinator, Box Office Manager, New Media Coordinator, and Donor Relations Coordinator and Special Events Coordinator .

Students are required to complete a research-based exit project, in which they propose a research project, prepare a written report on the research, and present the research to a committee.

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Admissions

The process of recruitment and acceptance of students begins each year in October and ends with offers being made typically in March and April. The Theatre Management program is comprised of 8-10 graduate assistants; between two and five students are accepted each year.

To apply to the Theatre Management program, a student must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (some students admitted provisionally with GPAs of 2.5 or above).

Applicants can submit their application online via theatre.wayne.edu.

A complete application packet for the theatre management program includes the application, a writing sample (a flyer, postcard, press release, or other sample, including an undergraduate paper), letters of recommendation from those most intricately involved with the student's work, and unofficial transcripts from all universities attended by the student.

An interview with the candidate is also required. Interviews happen yearly in Detroit.

 

Financial Aid Policy:

Students accepted into the Theatre Management program are expected to pay full tuition and fees to the university during their first year; stipends of up to $7,000 may be available from the department for their work assignments. In their second and third years of study, they will be granted full tuition and fee waivers, medical and dental insurance, and a full graduate research assistantship, equaling approximately $37,000.